Tahiri Veila
Tahiri Veila was a female Human Force-sensitive Jedi Knight in the New Jedi Order. The descendant of a Jedi of the Old Order, Veila was born on the planet Tatooine to a pair of moisture farmers, Tryst and Cassa Veila. After the deaths of her parents, an orphaned Veila was adopted by the leader of a Tusken Raider tribe, and thus she was raised as one of the Sand People. In 22 ABY, Jedi Master Tionne Solusar discovered Veila's Force-sensitivity and brought her to the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4. She then formed a friendship with a fellow Jedi Initiate named Anakin Solo, a grandson of the Jedi Anakin Skywalker, also remembered as Darth Vader. In the second year of the Yuuzhan Vong War, Veila was captured by the invaders during the attack on the Jedi Praxeum. She was then "shaped" by Mezhan Kwaad and Nen Yim to be a Jedi/Yuuzhan Vong hybrid. After her rescue, Veila became an asset to the Jedi as the procedure gave her the ability to speak and understand the enemy's language. In 27 ABY, Veila participated in the ill-fated Mission to Myrkr to remove the threat of the Jedi-hunting voxyn and witnessed the apparent death of Anakin Solo, whom she had begun to think of as more than a friend. Due to the emotional pain caused by his supposed death, her Vong-implanted personality Rina Kwaad resurfaced and attempted to control Veila's mind. After successfully unifying both personalities, Veila traveled to Zonama Sekot with Corran Horn and the Yuuzhan Vong Nen Yim, Harrar and a disguised Nom Anor. She aided Nen Yim in discovering the relation between the Yuuzhan Vong and Zonama Sekot, which proved vital in ending the war and forging a peace with the Yuuzhan Vong. There on Zonama Sekot, she learned that the Yuuzhan Vong personality imprinted upon her by shaper Mezhan Kwaad, was in fact the personality of Nen Yim, complete with memories. At that point she came to peace with the surprising truth just before Nen Yim's death by Nom Anor. Veila fought in the Battle of Yuuzhan'tar and by the war's end, she stayed on Zonama Sekot with Danni Quee and Tekli to assist the Yuuzhan Vong with adjusting to peace. During the Dark Nest Crisis, Veila was banished to Dagobah for revealing Jedi confidential information, but later became an active member of the New Jedi Order again by 40 ABY. Ultimately, she severed her ties to the Jedi during the Second Galactic Civil War. Veila was seduced by Jacen Solo's promises of a life without rules and regulations. After assassinating Imperial Head of State Gilad Pellaeon at the Second Battle of Fondor, Veila became a dark side apprentice. She later renounced the dark side as well, shortly the Battle of Shedu Maad in 41 ABY. Over the next three years, Veila lived as a virtual outcast, having renounced her allegiance to the Jedi, the Sith and the Galactic Alliance. During her time as a bounty hunter in 43 ABY, she assisted the Jedi Order against the machinations of Chief of State Natasha Daala, the Alliance's anti-Jedi leader who plotted against the Order by taking advantage of a Force psychosis phenomenon that plagued some of the Jedi such as Seff Hellin. Veila was later placed on trial for the assassination of Gilad Pellaeon, but then escaped in 44 ABY. She then turned to Leia Organa Solo and Han Solo for a short time. Later she became the Imperial Hand of Pellaeon's successor, Jag Fel after being turned over to him by the Solos. Her service to the Empire was brief, ultimately leading to her return to the ranks of the New Jedi Order during their conflict with the Lost Tribe and the Force entity known as Abeloth. Biography Early life Tahiri Veila was born on the planet Tatooine in 13 ABY. Like many of the planet's other settlers, her parents Cassa and Tryst Veila had a moisture farm where she spent her early years. She was orphaned at the age of three during a Tusken Raider raid though she was adopted by the tribe's leader Sliven in return for the kindness shown to him by her parents. Tahiri was raised as a Tusken Raider and had a pet bantha named Bangor. She was skilled in the Force and was later found by Jedi Master Tionne and brought to Luke Skywalker's Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4 at nine years old in 22 ABY. Jedi training (22 ABY–25 ABY) There she met one of the Solo children, Anakin, and they quickly became close friends. Around the Academy, Tahiri refused to wear shoes and would go everywhere barefoot because she liked the coolness of the floors, which contrasted pleasantly with Tatooine's hot sands. .]] On one adventure with Anakin, they came across the crumbling Palace of the Woolamander and discovered the Golden Globe and the ancient Kushiban Jedi Master Ikrit. Later, Ikrit also informed the pair that the Golden Globe contained countless trapped souls and that he had tried to break it before and failed. Following that, Tahiri and Anakin accompanied the Melodie Lyric to her homeworld of Yavin 8 where she was to undergo an important form-changing ritual known as the Changing Ceremony. Shortly after the trio's arrival, they fell under attack by several native predators including an avril, a reel, several raiths, and a purella. However, Anakin fought and killed them all. During the journey, the pair also discovered ancient carvings deep within a cave on the moon which matched those found at the Palace of the Woolamander. From these carvings, they learned that Golden Globe contained the souls of the children of the Massassi that had been imprisoned by the Dark Lord Exar Kun in 3997 BBY. They also learned that it was held together by Sith magic that could only be broken by Force-sensitive children. escaping a krayt dragon.]] However, before Tahiri and Anakin could do so, Sliven demanded that she return to Tatooine. Tahiri was accompanied by Anakin to Tatooine where she rejoined her people and discovered that her real parents were Tryst and Cassa Veila, also Force-sensitives like their daughter, though they had been accidentally killed in a raid by the Sand People. The two young Jedi also had to use their Force abilities as never before including surviving the harshest deserts of the Dune Sea, evading a sarlacc, befriending a Jawa clan and defeating a krayt dragon. Following this ordeal, they returned to Yavin 4 and freed the trapped souls within the Golden Globe. Despite this, her friend Anakin remained troubled by visions of himself as a Dark Jedi, by his heritage as the grandson of Anakin Skywalker, who had become the infamous Darth Vader. Also, Emperor Dantius Palpatine had once attempted to capture him as an infant. To ensure he had no potential for evil, the young Jedi asked if he could go to the very same cave on Dagobah that Luke Skywalker had gone years earlier, and face himself.Junior Jedi Knights: Anakin's Quest However, before arrangements for the trip could be made, a youth named Uldir Lochett was found stowed away on one of the supply ships to the Praxeum Lightning Rod. In spite of his optimism, he lacked obvious Force sensitivity—in his own later, rueful opinion, all he had were good hunches, a whisper-like ability to sense when the Force was being used, and a habit of causing trouble. Later, Tahiri, Ikrit, and R2-D2 accompanied Anakin to Dagobah. There, they discovered that Uldir had stowed away on their transport and encountered several swamp creatures before finally reaching the cave where Skywalker had faced his own dark side years earlier. There, Anakin faced the manifestations of his own doubts though he emerged victorious in the end. Later that year, the Jedi historian Tionne discovered that Darth Vader had saved Ben Kenobi's lightsaber after their duel on the first Death Star in 0 BBY and kept the captured artifact at Bast Castle on Vjun. Since an information broker had sold this information to them, she feared that others may have gotten to it first and quickly informed Master Skywalker at the Jedi Praxeum. Thinking it was just a simple trip and time for training, Tionne allowed Tahiri, Anakin, Uldir, and Ikrit to accompany her to Vjun on her personal transport Lore Seeker.Junior Jedi Knights: Vader's Fortress Having arrived on Vjun, they discovered another vessel and feared another group had reached it first. Having survived Bast Castle's automated defense systems and booby traps, they discovered the lightsaber in display in a protected alcove. Unfortunately, a group of mercenaries and pirates under a cloaked man named Orloc arrived. Orloc claimed to be a mage who possessed great powers and his henchmen also stole Kenobi's lightsaber. .]] In response, the Jedi pursued Orloc and his henchmen on a chase through Bast Castle. During a confrontation, Orloc easily defeated Ikrit with a lightsaber since the Kushiban was without one. He also deceived Uldir by claiming to train him all the Force skills he desired. However, the other Jedi managed to rescue Uldir and escape Bast Castle, along with Kenobi's lightsaber and the holocron of the ancient Jedi Master Asli Krimsan. Despite having escaped Orloc, Uldir was now obsessed with what the Mage had told him and still believed that the Mage would be able to awaken the Force powers within him, which nobody at the Jedi Praxeum had been able to do. Uldir then stole Ikrit's ship Sunrider (named after Nomi Sunrider) and the two Jedi artifacts recovered during the previous adventure at Bast Castle.Junior Jedi Knights: Kenobi's Blade Uldir eventually found Orloc at an abandoned space station called Exis Station, where Tionne had met Luke years earlier in her search for relics. Having arrived at the derelict space city, Uldir found Orloc whom took the youth as his student. The Mage had already set up his base on the moon and planned to create his own Jedi Order. In reality, Orloc had no Force powers but had actually used high-tech gimmicks to deceive others with demonstrations of so called "Force power." Uldir did not realize it. Tionne, Ikrit, Anakin, and Tahiri set out to find Uldir on their transport Lore Seeker and eventually found Exis Station. Having arrived, they tried to tell Uldir that Orloc was a fraud and that he had been deceived. The Mage attacked the four Jedi with his high-tech gimmicks, who fought back by using the Force. During the duel, Tionne was wounded and Ikrit—who had sworn not to wield a lightsaber until he had found worthy students—made his decision and join Anakin and Tahiri in their fight. Uldir then saw that Orloc was little more than a charlatan who used technology to deceive others with demonstrations of power. Together, the Jedi defeated Orloc, thus removing a threat to the growing New Jedi Order. Tahiri and her companions would return to the Jedi Praxeum. Whenever Tionne was not teaching classes, Tahiri had her full attention. Personality and traits As a child, Tahiri Veila was an optimistic and free-spirited youth. Although she was rather fond of the time she spent being raised amongst the Tusken Raiders of Tatooine, Veila was fascinated by the Force, as well as her own connection to it, and was eager to be inducted into the ways of the New Jedi Order. Even at a young age, she paid close attention to detail and was able to recall specific features of anything that interested her. Shortly after beginning her life as a Jedi, Veila was able to recall several facts about Banthas, such as their physical aspects and their usefulness in transportation on desert terrain. Yet despite her fondness for Tatooine and the people who raised her, the harsh and nomadic lifestyle of the Tusken Raiders, combined with the dessicated atmosphere of Tatooine, led Veila to feel a certain degree of animosity towards the cultural aspects of the Tuskens. Not only was she irritated by the requirement of covering her entire body in long robes, she hated the fact that she had to cover her face in accordance with Tusken tradition. The experiences of her childhood on Tatooine ultimately caused Veila to develop a particular trait that she retained well into adulthood: a phobia for footwear. After spending her first years on a surface covered mostly by hot sand, Veila reveled in her new-found freedom as a Jedi to walk barefoot whenever she pleased. She loved the sensation of feeling the cold surface of the Great Temple on Yavin 4 with her feet. With few exceptions, Veila spent most of her young life without shoes. Upon beginning her initiation into the ranks of the Jedi Order, Tahiri was instantly drawn to another young initiate named Anakin Solo, the grandson of Darth Vader. The two eventually developed a friendship that continued into their adolescence. Throughout their journeys together, Veila became Solo's best friend and confidante, whom she sometimes consoled by assuring him that he was not destined to fall to the dark side like his grandfather. Tahiri's youthful naiveté and happy-go-lucky outlook was virtually destroyed by the events of the Yuuzhan Vong War. Shortly after falling into enemy captivity, Veila was subjected to experimentation by the Shaper Mezhan Kwaad, thus causing her to develop an artificial Yuuzhan Vong persona known as "Riina Kwaad," which was based on the memories of Nen Yim. Although Veila's personality maintained its dominance, the Rina identity sought to control her body by manipulating Veila into embracing the dark side. Veila was ultimately able to force a merge between herself and Rina, and thus ensured her continued control over her own body. The Riina Kwaad personality was the first of two major factors in the war that ultimately changed Tahiri Veila. In the aftermath of the traumatic war, Veila steadily became more withdrawn, sullen and pragmatic. The years between the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War and the beginning of the Second Galactic Civil War brought an end to the idealistic young girl that once was Tahiri Veila, who slipped further into depression. Her lingering attachment to Anakin Solo was the primary factor behind her fall to the dark side of the Force. Jacen Solo, the older brother of Anakin, eventually settled on selecting the emotionally compromised Tahiri Veila as his apprentice. Although he initially only sought to use her as a spy in the Jedi Order, the failure to corrupt Ben Skywalker elevated Veila as the next most appropriate candidate. After experiencing Caedus' flow-walking ability first hand, Veila immediately became addicted to the technique that allowed her to visit past events where she could see Anakin before his death. But due to the short amount of time in their flow-walking sessions, as well as her false belief that the past could be altered, caused Veila to develop a strong addiction to the flow-walking ability. As a consequence, she also became incredibly dependent on Darth Caedus to the point where she renounced her allegiance to the Jedi Order with little hesitation or regret. The time that she spent in the Dark Lord's company caused Veila to gradually adopt several of Darth Caedus' traits, such as ruthlessness and the willingness to save the Galactic Alliance by embracing pain and sacrifice. As she delved deeper into Caedus' teachings and the ways of the Sith, Veila became increasingly devoted to his cause and often attempted to ingratiate herself to him. She willingly aided her new Master in several ways, such as by hunting down the fugitive Jedi and through initiating a pact between the Galactic Alliance and the Imperial Remnant. Though she disappointed Caedus by failing to discern the location of the Jedi Order's secret base, as well as by continuously clinging to her attachment to memory of Anakin Solo, Veila succeeded in pleasing him through other ways. By spying on her former Jedi comrades, she developed a talent for deceit and treachery; she showed the promise of becoming a shrewd manipulator by enticing Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon to support the Alliance's war effort. Most importantly, however, she was willing to kill even to the point of murder, but never reveled or found any pleasure in it. Caedus considered Veila's disgust and remorse with killing to be an essential trait for a Sith Lord, especially given his desire to avoid the common setbacks of slipping into vanity, greed and extreme psychotic behavior; the typical behavioral patterns of past Sith Lords. From launching a first strike on Fondorian starfighters to executing Pellaeon for treachery, Tahiri Veila proved to Darth Caedus that she would not hesitate to take the lives of others whenever it was absolutely necessary, even though she personally detested such actions. Further signs of proof in her loyalty and devotion to the Sith cause were seen by how hard she tried to cast off her ties to the Jedi by emulating the Dark Lord. After she became an enlisted officer in the Galactic Alliance Guard, Veila donned a smart blue uniform with - much to her discomfort - black military-issued boots. She even wore her hair up to add to the appearance of a proper female officer in the military. Once she officially became Darth Caedus' apprentice, Tahiri Veila made great strides in embracing her new Sith identity. She actively participated in the Galactic Alliance Guard's secret police activities, became the Dark Lord's chief enforcer, and endeavored to win the Second Galactic Civil War by annihilating the enemies of the Galactic Alliance and Caedus' New Order. Furthermore, she sought to imitate her Master in both behavior and appearance, mainly by wearing a GAG uniform, complimented by a black robe. As Caedus bitterly lamented the betrayals of his closest friends and loved ones, Veila became the only person whom he could—to a certain degree—trust and confide in. As a result, Veila may have been engaged in a physical relationship with her Master, though there was never any illusion of love between them. Relationships Anakin Solo Jacen Solo Ben Skywalker Appearances }} Notes and references Category:Females Category:Humans Category:Force-sensitives Category:Inhabitants of Coruscant Category:Inhabitants of Tatooine Category:New Republic individuals Category:Jedi Knights of the New Jedi Order Category:Veila family Category:Sand People Category:Torturers and interrogators